Secret plans to develop Caulfield and Sandown race courses

Confidential plans for multi-billion dollar residential, commercial and retail property developments at Caulfield and Sandown race courses are being considered by the Victorian State Government.

The ‘master plans’, which have been commissioned by the Melbourne Racing Club, one of the nation’s most powerful sporting bodies, are expected to involve joint ventures with development and property companies to design, build and run the projects.

But the plans are likely to become another flashpoint between the MRC, state government and some councils about the impact of high density developments on local communities and public amenities.

Sandown Park, about 30 kilometres south-east of Melbourne, is a 112-hectare horse and car racing track located in a major growth and transport hub that is fully-owned by the MRC, a not-for-profit organisation.

The park is in the electorate of Premier Daniel Andrews.

The MRC also owns more than 152,000 square metres of land surrounding the Caulfield Race Track, 13 kilometres south-east of central Melbourne, in addition to leased stable and training areas within the race course.

It is already undertaking a controversial $1 billion development opposite the entrance to the racecourse and close to a railway station that has been rezoned from a car park to 1200 apartments, 10,000 square metres of office space and 15,000 square metres of retail space.

“We are aiming to develop a plan for land-use, upgrades and development for the next 15-20 years,” said Josh Blanksby, general manager of the MRC, about the redevelopment plans.

Mr Blanksby said the racing club was looking at the “best ways to utilise its strong assets”, which in addition to hosting meetings was expanding into other forms of entertainment, gaming and property development.

He said no decision has been made.

State government officials have been briefed about the proposals devised by Hassall, a global consultancy and architecture group.

But the MRC, which leases the Crown Land occupied by Caulfield Race Course, is under fire from the local Glen Eira Council and landlord, Caulfield Racecourse Reserve Trust, for failing to consult.

“It is totally inappropriate that the tenant is proposing a master plan for what is probably one of the biggest development sites of prime inner-Melbourne land,” said Jim Magee, a former racecourse trustee and current mayor of Glen Eira, the local council for the area surrounding the course.

Mr Blanksby said the council was approached but declined to comment.

The trust, which is chaired by Greg Sword, former national president of the Australian Labor Party, has launched a separate ‘master plan’ into the use of the 54-hectare site that is legally meant to be divided between public recreation, a public park and the racecourse.

“The balance is a little skewed,” Mr Sword told a local community last week about the MRC’s influence over the use of the site.

The business of running racing clubs has been rapidly evolving in recent years from hosting race days into a multi-billion entertainment, gaming, land development and hotel business.

In the past four years MRC’s revenues from course admissions have remained static around $1.5 million as gaming revenue more than doubled to $34 million and telecasting rights rose 20 per cent to more than $9 million.

Victoria’s Attorney-General and Racing Minister Martin Pakula is among those reviewing the plans. Developments involving Caulfield Racecourse will also need the approval of the board of trustees, which has six council appointed members, six MRC members and three independents.

The inquiry should also consider the effect of horse training on the environment and usefulness of Caulfield R&R Park for human use. I thought that there was already an investigation along those lines before. Has anybody got an excellent submission to that? I think this should be presented and circulated again.

The Caulfield Racecourse and Recreation Reserve has been mismanaged for almost 150 years. The Select Committee Of The Legislative Council On Public Land Development pointed out many of the failures back in 2008, including that the Trustees themselves were ignorant of the multiple purposes of the land which are clearly stated in the various Crown Grants.

The 2014 A-G report also identified failures of the Department [now known as DELWP], and the lack of any principles to guide how the land should be managed. The State Government still hasn’t formally responded to the Report a year later. There still isn’t a modern management structure in place, or clear principles to guide management decisions. The appalling conflict of interest that the MRC has remains unchecked.

The article itself has been poorly researched. Note how it has ballsed up its description of the composition the Trustees. There are NO council appointed members, and certainly not 6 of them. The Trustees are stacked with people aligned to the MRC. That’s why the public park and public recreation purposes have been ignored for so long. The MRC used to be only interested in horseracing [curiously, horses weren’t even mentioned in the Crown Grants], but these days with the decline in interest in horseracing it has decided to branch out into property development. Their Master Plan, which will no doubt have a champion in Martin Pakula, is about development and maximising the value of the MRC’s hegemony.

In the meantime the responsible minister, Lisa Neville, has gone missing. Not a peep out of her about the governance regime. There are only a few signs of improvement either: the limited public consultation to which only sporting groups are invited being one; and the ongoing failure for new leases to be agreed to in the dispute between MRC and CRRT being the other. DELWP continues to be derelict in its management oversight; there isn’t a modern Committee of Management structure with appropriate accountability and transparency; and the public has NO representation on the Trustees. Contrary to what the A-G claimed, Cr Hyams has affirmed that the trustees who are councillors do not represent GECC, and by implication, don’t represent the wider community either.

Something massive is coming down the pipeline. The plans for Monash Uni that came to light about 6 months ago seem to give some insight, showing highrise buildings on the carpark area on the northern part of the site. Media reports say “multi billion dollar development”.

At the last meeting Greg Sword suggested that the whole of racecourse i.e. 54ha should be taken into account in submission suggestions. If that is the case then more than just sports grounds should be considered eg public park and access to it. Also, consolidation of training should be considered with Aquinita Stables to be shifted from its Crown land. At least one should try and put things in writing.